When academics venture off campus, they may take a little longer to notice things than the rest of us. Colgate[1] sociologist Meika Loe[2] seems to have had several such epiphanies.

“For her senior thesis, she decided to get a job at Bazoom’s, a restaurant in San Diego whose concept was based on women’s sex appeal,” Jenn Howard wrote in The Observer at Boston College on October 19, 2010. “The restaurant’s motto was ‘Delightfully tacky, yet unrefined.’”

“She took the job to immerse herself in this culture, conducting interviews and doing research along the way.” Most casual observers would have been immersed enough by the name and tagline.

“Loe found that the restaurant normalized sexual harassment in a policalized environment,” Howard wrote. “A high value was placed on women’s sexual work, causing a stigma to be attached to the business.” Such can be the value of a college education: She caught the political part.

Loe had come to BC to discuss her book, The Rise of Viagra: How The Little Blue Pill Changed Sex in America. “During her lecture, she noted the fact that although men are generally very uncomfortable talking about Viagra, their discomfort doesn’t stop them from using it,” Howard reported.